Wild Lilac in Bloom
Wild Lilac (ceanothus) is currently blooming mostly at elevations higher than 4000 feet in San Diego County. Blossom colors range from pure white to various shades of blue or lavender. Some fine examples may be seen along the upper Noble …
Chamise and Buckwheat
Two of the most common native flowering plants in San Diego County's sage-scrub and chaparral plant communities — chamise and buckwheat — are in flower this month through June. Chamise, also known as greasewood, readily sprouts from root crowns after …
San Diego's Coastal Wildflower Bloom
A middle-of-the-road wildflower display due to slightly-less-than-normal winter rainfall -- is not entirely over. Meticulous searches on slopes facing north (away from the sun) or in shady canyon bottoms (where runoff may have lingered) should reveal native red monkeyflower, blue-eyed …
Monkey Flowers, Mustard, Desert Agaves, and the Rabbit and Rodent Population
Monkey Flowers of various species are putting on an excellent display this month around San Diego. Look for these low, shrub-like plants with tubular yellow, orange, or red flowers wherever native vegetation clothes the landscape -- from the coastal bluffs …
Tides and Celestial Objects
April's Lowest Tides, dropping to -1.2 feet, are for early risers only: 4:49 a.m. on Sunday the 26th, and 5:38 a.m. on Monday the 27th. On Tuesday the 28th, the lowest tide of -1.0 foot occurs at the more reasonable …
Locust Trees and Black Oaks
The Tall Locust Trees planted years ago along Julian's narrow streets are once again brightening this backcountry (and former gold rush) town with blossoms of white, pink, and lavender. Introduced into the West by 19th-century emigrants, locust trees have become …
A Dramatic Occultation of the Planet Venus, and the Lyrid Meter Shower
A dramatic occultation of the planet Venus by the waning crescent moon takes place during early morning on Wednesday, April 22. The word occult means "to hide" or "hidden" -- and that's just what the moon does to Venus by …
Star Jasmine, Snakes, and Bracken Ferns
Star Jasmine's Sweet Perfume, exuded from clusters of small, white flowers, will continue to scent San Diego's spring breezes until sometime in June. Not a true jasmine, or Jasminum, star jasmine belongs to the genus Trachelospermum. In both public and …
The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, Blue-Blossoming Jacaranda Trees, and Painted Lady Butterflies
The Coastal Wildflower Bloom, average or better in quality due to near-average winter rainfall, continues through April. One of the best spots for viewing the greatest variety of flowers is Torrey Pines State Reserve. San Onofre State Beach, just north …
Warmer Temperatures, Low Rainfall, Cottonwoods, and Transitioning Grasslands
Warmer Temperatures and increased humidity coincide with the subtle onset of San Diego's spring season. By April's end, the intermittent showers, Santa Ana winds, cold nights, and crystal-clear, sun-drenched days of winter will likely be distant memories. The nocturnal, low …
The Thin-Grinned Waxing Crescent Moon, Orchid Trees, and Citrus Blossoms
The Thin-Grinned Waxing Crescent Moon returns to the evening sky this week on Friday, March 27. Look low in the west at dusk. Subsequent days will see a thicker crescent moon higher and higher in the western sky when darkness …
Where's Venus These Days?
In late March, Venus makes the transition between "evening star" and "morning star," an event known as inferior conjunction with the sun. During this particular conjunction, Venus passes several degrees north of the sun, an occurrence that repeats every eight …
Vernal Equinox, Sage, Yucca, India Hawthorn, and the Big Dipper
Vernal Equinox on Friday, March 20, at 4:44 a.m. Pacific standard time heralds the beginning of the spring season for Earth's northern hemisphere. At the instant of vernal equinox, the sun lies in the plane of Earth's equator. As a …
Warm Spells, a Windy March, African Daisies, and Ornamental Peach Trees
Winter's Intermittent Warm Spells came and went, and in doing so triggered the early emergence of bright green leaves on sycamore, liquidambar, and other decorative deciduous trees around San Diego. Cruise down Highway 163 through Balboa Park to appreciate the …
Daylight Saving Time, Anza-Borrego, Saturn, Full Moon, and the Highest and Lowest Tides
Pacific Daylight Time, or "daylight saving time," starts on Sunday morning, March 8, at 2 a.m. No time is "saved" by advancing our clocks by one hour. This sneaky trick in civil time is designed to rouse us out of …
Mexican Coral Trees, Manzanita Shrubs, Hummingbirds, Venus and the Crescent Moon
Mexican Coral Trees or "naked corals," are showing their stuff this season by bearing and baring scarlet, flame-like flowers on the tips of their twisting, leafless branches. Commonly planted as park and freeway landscaping, this and other species of coral …
Ice Plant, Ceanothus, Low Tides, and a Planet/Moon Gathering
Ice Plant is responsible for many of the carpet-like splashes of yellow, pink, red, and purple we're beginning to see around San Diego. Popular as a ground cover for concealing and stabilizing road cuts or any other easily eroded slope, …
Ocean Temps, Lupines, Tree Heights and No Moon on Valentine's Day
Ocean Water Temperatures, of late in the high 50s Fahrenheit, are finally on the upswing this month as the daylight hours lengthen and the sun arcs higher overhead in the sky each day. It will take about five months of …
Frost-Nipped Legacies, Ornamental Pear Trees, Very Low Tides, and a Full Moon
The Frost-Nipped Legacies of the holiday season's cold spells should not be hard to spot, especially in the inland areas where overnight lows dipped to below-freezing. Look for brown lawns, half-dead-looking avocado trees, and wilted ornamental plants like poinsettias. One …
Later Sunsets, Ground-Hog Day, Big Ocean Swells, Waxing Crescent Moon and Venus
The Sun Strides North in February, swinging higher across the sky each successive day. Already quite noticeable is the change in the time of sunset, currently almost a minute later per day, and sunrise, currently almost a minute earlier per …